Love comes in many forms.
Speaking about it, imagining it, and melting at the mere prospect of it can leave you giddy with its richness.
But defining it, expressing or experiencing it - that's a different game.
Elijah - the heir to the throne of...
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"Tighten your grip on the sword and focus half of your energy on the enemy in front of it."
"Only a half? Why not all of it, since the aim should be to defeat them?"
"That's where you have it wrong. During a fight, defeat might be the end result you want, but it is incredibly easy to lose yourself to the bloodlust. The sudden drive of thrill your body goes through can do that to you. Hence, you always have to use the other half of your energy to keep that rush at bay and put it to use at the perfect points of attack."
"But even then, what you're saying is that I could lose...even if I win the fight?"
"Definitely. You always have to make sure that you can push away the dangerous pride of putting someone down and return to your normality once the opponent's sword drops."
"Hm. Are you truly a man of such modesty or are you trained to think like this?" Zyanna mused, wearing a fake look of suspicion as she swung her sword around too delicately - her hands clearly struggling to hold its weight.
Vladimir cocked his head. "Are you doubting your teacher on the very first lesson?"
"First lesson? Does that mean I can expect another one?" She questioned, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"We'll just have to see how you perform during our first time, and I may think of considering it." Vladimir smiled with a nod, lifting her arms into a better fighting position.
"Does that mean you won't give me another chance if I lose?"
I stepped into the sunlight and cleared my throat, making their attentions swing in my direction. "We fight to win, Zyanna. Losing is not an option nor is it a thought we entertain."
Vladimir dropped his hands and quickly straightened up. "Your highness. I didn't realize you were here, is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes, actually, there is. Whatever it is you're doing, can I take over?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.
"Of course, your highness. Princess Lia needed me to check on the security measures near our borders anyway so I'll get started on that."
"You're excused."
He quickly spun around to leave, but just as he was about to, he turned back and swiftly extended his arms and slightly lifted Zyanna's chin. "You don't want to look at the ground in a fight, Yanna. Your head would disappear before you even look up. Remember, head straight and eyes forward, the basics are important."
Yanna? When did I miss the shortening of names?
I cleared my throat dryly, shooting a blank look at my favourite soldier. "Princess Aaliyah won't be too happy if she finds out you're late, Vladimir."
He nodded sincerely and left the area with a practised sprint.
I started walking towards Zyanna who was still yet to acknowledge my presence. She continued to wave the sword in random angles, and her amateurish movements only made me chuckle.
